Chinese Name: 吳耿禎 (Wu Keng-chen)
Born: 1979
Birthplace: Tainan (Southern Taiwan)
Did You Know That…?
The “Library Project (圖書館計畫),” initiated by Jam Wu in 2010, is his most cherished experience. Whenever he travels to a new country, he visits a local library, finds an obscure book, and creates a paper-cutting artwork on the spot. Once he completes his artworks, he carefully places each piece inside the chosen book, leaving it behind for future readers to discover.
As a child, Wu had very limited access to art education and never received formal training in paper cutting. It wasn’t until he enrolled in the Interior Design Department at Shih Chien University (實踐大學) that he began to immerse himself in artistic creation. One rainy day during his sophomore year, he was deeply moved by the ripples in the campus swimming pool and felt compelled to capture the scene. Guided purely by instinct, he chose paper cutting as his medium. He immediately gathered paper and began bring his vision to life.
After completing the piece, Wu felt disoriented and sought feedback from his peers and teachers. Their response was that the work “reflected an unidentified cultural character.” This observation prompted Wu to delve deeper into the roots of his creation. He began researching Chinese culture through books published by Echo Publishing (漢聲雜誌) and concluded that Taiwan does not have a native paper-cutting tradition. “Our paper cutting art is derived from China,” he remarked.
For Wu, his first encounter with paper cutting was driven entirely by intuition, akin to an improvisational jazz performance. He maintained this intuitive approach in the years that followed; however, he found himself grappling with a lingering question: What were the cultural influences that shaped his artistic instincts? Determined to find the answer, he embarked on a journey of exploration.
After graduating from university, he applied for the Cloud Gate Foundation’s “Wanderer Project” and travelled to Northern Shaanxi, China, to immerse himself in the region’s paper-cutting culture. He found that this intricate art form is not merely a craft but a vibrant expression of folk art deeply embedded in daily life, reflecting a strong connection between the creator and their cultural and geographical environments.
Inspired by his experiences, Wu returned to Taiwan in 2006 and worked as a theater designer while continuing to explore various art forms and actively participate in exhibitions. He also traveled through Europe and the Arctic to study diverse paper-cutting styles, analyzing how to extract traditional techniques as elements for contemporary art.
In 2016, he returned to his hometown of Tainan and launched the “PapercutField – Soulangh Project (剪紙合作社－蕭壠計畫).” This project marked the culmination of his participatory art experiences and expressed his rejection of the conventions promoted by orthodox art institutions. Through the project, Wu led 20 women from the Beimen District (北門區) in a series of paper-cutting workshops, recreating scenes from their local environment and demonstrating a meaningful way to express Taiwan’s cultural subjectivity.
In 2018, Wu began experimenting with “weaving” paper, deconstructing traditional Chinese paper-cutting techniques to explore the limits of the medium. “If paper cutting is a feminine cultural form in Chinese folk arts,” he said, “then for Taiwan, which is deeply influenced by Austronesian traditions, the traditional female role has been that of the weaver.”
Wu is usually labeled as a paper-cutting artist, but his work transcends conventions of paper cutting. He examines the complexities of society, culture, and humanity, uncovering hidden narratives and intricate connections. His investigations have culminated in a unique artistic style that merges traditional Chinese paper cutting with Taiwan’s Austronesian heritage, redefining the expressive potential of paper as a medium in art.